Vaughan Larsen

Rites

Self Portrait as my Mother as a Cheerleader
Self Portrait as my Mother as a Cheerleader

In the self-portraits that comprise the series Rites, Larsen reenacts ceremonies rooted in heteronormative, cisgendered culture. These images parody moments lived by Larsen’s own family members, while introducing altered details that reflect their queer identity and experience.

Drawing on the visual language of Americana—including references to prom, the U.S. military, and cheerleaders—the work directly critiques the rigid gender roles and binary identifiers glorified in Western society. By exaggerating the inherently performative nature of these rituals, the series exposes how such traditions reinforce exclusionary ideals of identity, belonging, and success.

Through these staged interventions, Rites challenges the normative expectations surrounding life milestones, offering a space for queer reimagination and resistance within cultural narratives that often leave little room for difference.

Self Portrait as my Grandmother
Self Portrait as my Grandmother
Self Portrait as my Aunt with her Father
Self Portrait as my Aunt with her Father
Self Portrait as my Mother the day back from the Hospital
Self Portrait as my Mother the day back from the Hospital
Self Portrait as my Grandfather
Self Portrait as my Grandfather
Self Portrait as my Uncle at Homecoming
Self Portrait as my Uncle at Homecoming
Self Portrait as my Mother at my Father's Military Ball
Self Portrait as my Mother at my Father’s Military Ball
Self Portrait as my Aunt getting ready for Prom
Self Portrait as my Aunt getting ready for Prom
Self Portrait as a Woman in the Hospital
Self Portrait as a Woman in the Hospital
Self Portrait as my Mother as a Cheerleader
Vaughan Larsen